A Car Guy’s Bucket List Item: The Woodward Dream Cruise

Amidst the shambles of abandoned buildings, road construction that will never finish and out skirting areas of poverty stricken communities is an absolute gem of nostalgia. When exploring the Detroit area, you get the feeling that everything that once made up this city of motors is either dead or dying – certainly not the case.

The people that have stayed in the metropolitan area have a sense of pride on a level you don’t feel in other cities. It’s as if they’re saying “we love our city no matter what,” and they truly mean it.

I have never seen so many classic cars in one place in my life. Muscle cars, rat rods, hot rods, kit cars, extreme mods, donks, movie cars, drag cars – they were all there. Woodward Avenue itself stretches for miles and the cruise branches off into six different suburbs – each one hosting their own stationary show with vendors and music.

First and foremost the Woodward Dream Cruise makes you proud of America and our car culture. Over a million automotive enthusiasts line the streets while over 40 thousand cars rumble down Woodward Avenue’s historic pavement. Camping chairs and pop-up canopies line the sidewalk for miles around. Old, young and really young a like cheer and thumbs up their favorite cars. The hooligans haze drivers, egging them on to smoke the tires. Chants of “light em’ up,” can be heard from all around; we want a show.

As a younger man, I experienced a feeling of nostalgia that I didn’t even experience. It made me feel how I felt when I watched the movie “American Graffiti.” It was the early 60s and there wasn’t much else to do but drive around with the radio blasting, challenging other drivers at red lights and eating greasy burgers and hot dogs – could simplicity get any sweeter?

This show is the ultimate bucket list item and if you’re coming from out-of-state the only thing it’s going to cost is travel, a hotel and maybe a shirt or two. This is one of the best automotive experiences in the world and once you’ve gone, you’ll need to go again.

Join AVI mid-August next year as we host a hospitality even right in the heart of the show in Pontiac, Detroit. A fair warning; you will be overwhelmed.

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